Jaliyah Terry’s first competitive moments on the basketball court drew giggles and snickers from other players around her age.
Those laughs came when Jaliyah was just getting started as a baller, barely making the middle school team thanks to her hustle, and trying to beef up her ability through her time with Augusta basketball trainer Darrin Shine.
Jaliyah’s mother, Adrienne Stuckey, remembers it well.
Humble beginnings
“The kids definitely picked on her,” Stuckey said. “But Darrin would always tell her, ‘don’t worry about that. Kids will be kids. You just keep working and you’ll be okay.”
Jaliyah remembers those days also, and she won’t shy away from exactly how bad she was when she first began.
“When I was starting basketball, I literally had no skill,” Jaliyah said while laughing and shaking her head to emphasize the point. “But [the laughter] didn’t bother me, because it was then that I realized I had to work out harder than everybody because I was already behind.”
Now, when people — particularly opponents trying to guard Jaliyah — watch her play, no one’s laughing.
A legit college prospect
That’s because the younger Terry’s game has carved out a reputation for herself as being one of the best guards in the CSRA. She proved that last year when she averaged 17.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.6 assists per game as a junior. That stat line, plus her leadership on and off the court, helped guide Westminster Schools of Augusta to a 20-6 overall mark and a 6-2 in the Georgia Independent Athletic Association’s (GIAA) District 2-AAAA.
Don’t let that GIAA status fool you, though. Some of Westminster’s biggest wins — and Jaliyah’s best performances — came against GHSA schools like Aquinas and SCHSL teams like Fox Creek.
Not only that, the 5-foot-9 combo guard was getting it done as a freshman and sophomore at Hephzibah — the same place her aunt Jacoya Terry played when she won a Class AAA state championship back in 2005 before going on to play at Eastern Carolina. She scored 10 points per game and was one of the team’s leaders in assists.
Her mom has seen the hard work and credits her daughter’s coaches and trainers, particularly Darrin Shine, for the improvement she’s made.
Her play has been good enough to garner scholarship offers from Eastern University, Maine Maritime, LaGrange College, Washington College and Southern Union College. She also was invited to and attended a basketball camp at Columbia University.
She’s also heard from the likes of Truett McConnell, Albany Tech, University of Rochester and Montreat College.
“Without him, this wouldn’t have been a thing,” Stuckey said. “Even now, with every camp she’s gone to over the summer, every school visit, he’s checking in with her reaching out every day to see what she needs. She went to nine different camps this past year, and he was right there checking on her with each one. He’s a big reason why she’s a college prospect now.”
Looking for a ring
Jaliyah’s now at Curtis Baptist where she’s looking forward to finishing her high school career on a high note while also continuing to put in the classroom work that’s got Ivy League schools recruiting her as a student-athlete.
The Crusaders are also hoping Terry can be that final piece to complete their state championship puzzle. Curtis lost to Cross 47-43 in last year’s South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Class A state championship game. Last year’s squad graduated just four seniors, but the team’s highest scorers were sophomore Maci Butler (13.1 ppg) and freshman Mia Price (10.3 ppg).
For Jaliyah, she sees it as an opportunity to not only provide some additional scoring punch, but leadership as well.
“My biggest goal is winning a state championship,” said Terry, who will be the lone senior for Curtis, according to its MaxPreps roster. “Once we start practice, it’s gonna be go time. I’m gonna get the chance to be a leader for my team. I’m going to be disciplined, and we’ll have expectations and standards that I’ll have to help our team hold up to. Some of my teammates are younger, freshmen and sophomore, and I want to be someone they can look up it.”
For this year’s squad, it starts in just a little over three weeks from now when Curtis tips off the season against Westside on Saturday Nov. 16 at the Ricky Moore 21 Invitational. And Jaliyah’s already losing sleep in anticipation of what her senior season could be.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “This is my last ride. I’ve gotta get a ring out of it somewhere. I’m working hard every day and just thinking about it every day, but it feels great. Just being in this position makes it feel like all the work I put in, all the sleepless nights, the blood, sweat and tears, it’s all just worth it.”
